The biggest threat to English football, as Charlie Methven sees it, is the financial gap between the Premier League and Championship.

Having helped turn around the finances of Sunderland as executive director after they dropped from the top flight to the third tier, Methven has seen the damage it can cause but does not yet believe the top clubs are prepared to narrow it enough.

England’s top-flight is world football’s most lucrative thanks to television deals which continue to set new records. Even though Championship attendances are the third biggest for any European league the drop in finances is huge, causing massive pain for those caught inbetween.

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“The Premier League yo-yo clubs have the temptation of just smashing a bit more money in, hoping they’ll be okay and suddenly they find themselves in the Championship,” Methven says.

To try to reduce the financial damage of relegation, in 2017-18 the Premier League paid £243m in “parachute payments” to eight clubs who dropped out of the top flight in the previous three years, and £100m in solidarity payments split amongst the Football League’s remaining 64. At first glance, one might have thought such a large injection would give relegated clubs an unfair advantage in the second tier, but the number who, like Sunderland in 2017-18, have been demoted again suggests otherwise.

“The fans think, ‘We’ve got £45m coming in in a division where a top budget is £25m.’ No. You’re carrying a wage budget which means players who have already proven they’re not good enough to be in the Premier League are being paid five times as much as a player of almost identical ability at a Championship club.

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“Sheffield United’s wage budget was £18.5m, £19m, Norwich £21m, Fulham more like £80m-100m but I think most football people would acknowledge Sheffield United and Norwich were better teams last season.”

There were reports following Bury’s collapse that Manchester United were leading a group of Premier League clubs considering pushing for increased solidarity payments, but Methven is not holding his breath.

“I don’t think there’s (a widespread) understanding that more is needed,” he says. “You’ve always got the fear that a small number of clubs at the top end might break away so I do think that parliament may need to be involved. This is the national sport, these are important institutions and it shouldn’t be left entirely to govern itself.”